This invention relates to a method for repairing a crack, particularly in a recreational court or surface.
A variety of methods exist for repairing cracks in surfaces, such as roadways, pavements and other concrete or asphalt surfaces, and particularly for recreational courts or surfaces, such as tennis courts, outdoor basketball courts, volleyball courts, running tracks and multi-sport play courts. Such cracks are a significant problem, especially in those areas of the country where there are significant variations in temperature throughout the year. The conventional process for repairing cracks in recreational courts or surfaces requires cleaning debris out of the cracks and filling the cracks with a crack filler material which solidifies to a hardened state. Prior to hardening, this crack filling material is leveled to the level of the recreational court or surface.
Unfortunately, crack repairs made using this conventional process are only a temporary fix. Continued maintenance of the recreational court is necessary because of the formation of new cracks or the further deterioration of the earlier crack caused by changes in temperature and moisture in the environment as well as ground movement or settling and problems with the construction of the court or surface. Cracks repaired using this conventional process often tear open again as the asphalt or concrete pavement expands or contracts caused by temperature changes, moisture level increases, ground movement or settling, or the freeze and thaw of the surrounding ground.
A more complex process for repairing cracks in recreational courts or surfaces, particularly tennis courts, requires covering the filled crack with a slip-sheet, i.e. a non-adhering material which isolates the crack from the surrounding environment. This process requires the crack to be cleaned and filled with a hardened crack filler to the level of the surrounding pavement or recreational court. A slip-sheet is then secured, usually by an adhesive, to the surface of the recreational court, completely covering the filled crack. The top surface of this slip-sheet, which is applied over the crack, is required not to adhere to other materials which cover the slip-sheet. Another layer or layers of material, such as one or more fiberglass sheets, are then placed over the non-adhering surface of the slip-sheet and are secured at least at their peripheral edges to the pavement or recreational court. By this method, the top surface of the slip-sheet is isolated from the remaining materials, enabling the slip-sheet to expand and contract with the court or surface without putting stress on the crack repair. Early slip-sheet methods are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,663,350 and 3,932,051.
Another method of crack repair using a slip-sheet utilizes a tape material with a shiny outer surface, prepared from polyethylene, Mylar, Teflon or other such materials, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,729. An adhesive tape, such as duct tape, which has a non-adhering polyethylene top surface, is one example of a slip-sheet of this invention.
In an alternative method, which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,304, a liquid waterproofing material is applied directly over the filled crack. This liquid waterproofing material dries with a non-adhering top surface that isolates the crack from additional materials placed over the non-adhering surface. Over this non-adhering surface are secured several fabric layers by use of acrylic binders. The key step in this process, however, is the crack isolation step produced by the application of the liquid waterproofing material to the recreational court.
The process of U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,304 is similar to that of U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,729 in that both rely on the application of a non-adhering material to the recreational court or surface over which other materials are placed. Many different types of materials and adhesives may be applied over the slip-sheet or other non-adhering surface to complete the crack repair.
While these processes for filling cracks in recreational courts or surfaces have shown utility, they can be difficult to apply, require an extensive amount of time to cure and still result in problems caused by the recurrence of the cracks.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to disclose a method for repairing a crack in a court or surface, particularly a recreational court or surface, which addresses the problems of the prior art. These and other objects can be obtained by the process for repairing a crack in a recreational court or surface that is disclosed in the present invention.